Kuruda Return
by Starshadow
Summary: Shadow Skill/Fort Lyvalle AU. My take on what might have happened directly after Gau and friends extracted Dias from Blorfan.
1. Chapter 1

Credits: Shadow Skill was created by Megumu Okada. It is owned/licensed by Bandai Visual, Kadokawa Shouten, Marubeni, Sotou Agency, ADV.

Disclaimer: Shadow Skill characters borrowed for the love and joy of the writing, and not for purposes of acquiring lucre. The Fort Lyvalle inhabitants are mine. As with all fics, while the goal is to stay as in character as possible, the author cries "mea maxima culpa" to any discrepancies that the discerning reader may is a fanwork made by fans for fans.

Author's Notes: My take on what could have happened between the time Gau and company successfully extracted Dias from Blorfan and the events at the beginning of Episode 15 of the anime.

* * * * *

Kuruda's King, Iba Stola, looked up from the documents littering his desk in the royal palace. The royal chamberlain hovered deferentially at the doorway to his private study, waiting patiently for the King to acknowledge his presence.

"What is it, Grenard?" sighed Iba Stola, leaning back in his chair. "What new duty do you seek to impose upon your King?"

The chamberlain bowed his head. "Your Majesty, I have just been informed that our 59th sevalle, Elle Ragu, arrived in Kuruda City early this morning, with several companions. They are to be found at the Green Octopus Inn."

The King shot a piercing gaze on the tall man standing near the huge picture window overlooking the palace courtyard. The look was calmly returned by a pair of cold hazel eyes, and the King returned his gaze to the chamberlain.

"Who arrived with Shadow Skill?"

"The 56th sevalle, Crimson Kai Sink; Gau Ban, the Black Howling; Kyou Ruu, Septia Phantom; Follinkmeyer Brazmetizer, Sui Rame; and Dias Ragu, the valle named Black Wing."

"Dias Ragu? Even so?" Again the King exchanged a meaningful look with Scarface. "What news from Shadow Skill, then?"

"Shadow Skill sends her respect to the King, and awaits an audience at your convenience to make a full report of her mission," said the chamberlain. "She also requests your permission to present her brothers."

"Tell the 59th sevalle that I acknowledge her respect, and will see her - what is their condition, Lord Chamberlain?"

"Apparently severely bruised and beaten and weary, sire, but otherwise whole. It will take a week before any of them are fit to be seen at Court, saving my Lord Kai Sink."

"Then set our audience with the 59th sevalle and her companions ten days from now. After we have welcomed them home, we shall have further talk in my private audience chamber. Arrange for the Master Healer to pay a visit to the Green Octopus, and send extra provisions to the innkeeper for their comformt. See that everything is prepared." The King waited for the chamberlain to bow and make his exit before returning his piercing gaze to Scarface. "I would have you present at the private audience, Scarface, considering the hand you have had in this turn of events."

"As you wish, sire." Scarface uncoiled himself from his lounging position at the window and made as if to go, but the King stopped him with a gesture. "Yes, Your Majesty?"

"I would have the Lady Holder of Fort Lyvalle present at this audience as well."

"The Lady Shavra?" Scarface's question was politely surprised.

"You find it unusual?"

"As the Lioness of Kuruda, she has stood beside you at ceremonial functions. But never has she attended your private meetings with the sevalles."

"Fort Lyvalle commands a strategic defense position, and she should be aware of events surrounding Kuruda. Especially now." The King's dark eyes gleamed. "Perhaps you have forgotten, Scarface, how the Lady Holder came to be my ward?"

Scarface's brown eyes glinted in sudden understanding. "Ah. Yes. It has been a long time for them both."

"For all of us. When you leave, I would have you inform the Lady Holder that her presence is requested at this audience. Tell her to come robed as the Lioness of Kuruda, and that you will be her escort into the Great Hall."

"As your Majesty wishes..."

/tbc


	2. Chapter 2

"You there," said Scarface, to the little page coming down the hallway towards him from the direction of the suite Shavra Lyvalle occupied when residing at the palace. "Is the Lady Holder receiving visitors this morning?"

The little boy stopped dead in his tracks, his blue eyes going wide as he recognized to whom he was speaking. It was the first time he had been so close to any of the sevalles, and to actually be addressed by this one...!

"Y-yes, my Lord Scarface," stammered the page, and Scarface was hard-pressed to keep his smile from revealing itself. "Her Ladyship has but now completed her meditations and opened her receiving room. I am bid to inform His Majesty of this."

"Then do not let me keep you, sir," said Scarface, a twinkle appearing in his normally cold hazel eyes. "Make haste to His Majesty, and I will seek out the Lady Holder myself."

A soft chuckle escaped Scarface as the lad sped down the corridor, and his long strides made short work of the distance to the double doors leading to Shavra's suite. His imperious knock was answered by one of Shavra's attendants, a pert young woman with jet-black hair and dark eyes, who curtsied as she showed Scarface through the foyer into Shavra's office.

They entered a room filled with sunlight, perched in a palace tower, and dominated by an enormous picture window that afforded a magnificent view of Kuruda right down to the shoreline. The light warmed the figure of a tall young woman, standing before the window, gilding her silvery-blonde hair and revealing the merest shade of pink in the elegantly coiffed locks that coiled about her shoulders. The lavander dress she wore moulded itself perfectly to her magnificent figure until it reached her hips, where it flared into a floor-length skirt edged with intricate gold and silver embroidery.

Scarface heard the soft whisper of her skirt as she turned to face him, and felt the familiar pleasant shock of meeting her eyes - wide and thickly-lashed, the color of an Ashlianna twilight or purest amethyst - eyes that were celebrated the length and breadth of the Four Kingdoms for their beauty and direct gaze.

"My Lord Scarface Vy Low," she said, in her pleasant voice, sweet and low. She dropped him a curtsy, as was her custom, and Scarface bowed deeply in return. The formalities over, she favored him with a smile and beckoned him to a chair in front of one of the bay windows. "I am honored. Please - be seated. Gemma, see if we have any of that Lekhitor white left and bring us a flask. Don't forget some of that cheese from Baltor, either."

"Yes, my Lady," said the young attendant who had shown Scarface in. She bowed herself out of the room, closing the doors behind her. As soon as they were alone, Shavra tilted her head to study Scarface, her expression curious.

"So...to what do I owe this pleasure, Scarface?" she asked, settling herself in the bay window. "It is not often that you come to visit me in my den."

Scarface allowed himself to relax somewhat, for the chair was comfortable, and the room's atmosphere soothing. In his lazy voice he began to tell her of the scheduled meeting.

"His Majesty the King will be receiving certain persons in the Great Hall in ten days time," he said, "He wishes you to attend him robed as the Lioness of Kuruda, and I am to be your escort on that day. You are also to attend the special audience he will have after receiving them before the Court."

Shavra's amethyst eyes considered Scarface, openly curious. "Important guests, to merit a special audience, and His Majesty wishing to have me there in ceremonial dress. It is not often he wishes me to be seen in such a manner. Am I allowed to know who they are?"

"The King regards them highly enough," smiled Scarface. "They are Crimson, Shadow Skill, Black Howling and Black Wing."

Shavra gasped and grew pink at the mention of the fighting name Black Wing. "The Black...Wing? Is here in Kuruda?"

"He arrived with his sister Shadow Skill not six hours ago," said Scarface evenly, watching with interest Shavra's swift struggle for control. "You did hear of the battle at Blorhan, did you not?"

"Yes, it would seem that Gau Ban earned his fighting name of Black Howling in Blorhan," replied Shavra. "One sevalle apprentice was the equal of a thousand that day - and I am glad for him."

"Do you not wonder why that one sevalle apprentice was out there, when the battle was originally headed for Lekhitor?"

Shavra stared hard at Scarface, who returned her gaze levelly, without flinching. When the amethyst eyes flashed in fierce indignation, it served to confirm what he knew from the day Elle Ragu and the Lady Holder had met -- the affection in her heart for Shadow Skill and her motley crew.

"You sent him out there! You sent Gau alone out there to defend...!"

"Yes, I did, Shavra. The move towards Lekhitor was a feint to draw out Kuruda. They wanted Black Wing all along, to forge their weapons and fight alongside them."

Shavra sniffed her disdain. "Stupid fools. Dias Ragu is Kuruda through and through. They could not possibly have believed he would turn against his own country, and his sister the 59th sevalle of Kuruda?"

"Apparently they did, my Lady," murmured Scarface, and smiled at her exclamation of scorn. "You, on the other hand, seem to have no doubts about the character of Black Wing."

Shavra glared at Scarface. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Merely that for someone who has not seen the man these ten years past, you exhibit an unusual amount of faith in his loyalty. Trusting you are, Lady Shavra, but not a fool - that much I know."

"Well for you that you realize it, my Lord Scarface," she retorted, the gold flecks in her lavander eyes sparkling angrily.

"I must admit that you have piqued my curiousity. How is it that you know enough of Black Wing Dias Ragu to have given him such affection?" Scarface's voice was silky. "When the Black Wing brought you to Court, you were little more than a child. And soon after that, he was fighting battles wherever he could find them."

"As you yourself were," pointed out Shavra sweetly, and the two of them laughed. "I may as well tell you, then - because I won't be able to sleep for wondering how you'll piece the story together if I don't.

/tbc


	3. Chapter 3

"The Ragu family tended a small croft on our lands, and Dias began his training as a valle at the Fort, under our Captain of the Guards. He showed great strength and promise, young as he was, and it was the general opinion at Lyvalle Hold that we were seeing a sevalle in the making. With that in mind, my mother..." Shavra's eyes grew misty, "My mother asked for his services as her squire, in-between his training and duties at home. To polish him up, she said, so that when the time came for him to attend the Four Devas Ceremony, he could hold his own in manners against any of the stuffed shirts in Juliannes."

Scarface raised an openly questioning brow. "My dear Lady Holder, your mother said no such thing."

"Oh, indeed she did, my lord sevalle! If anyone was in a position to know, it would be her, a Daughter of Light." Shavra smiled, the action bringing into prominence the dimple at the lower corner of her mouth. "Part of Dias' duties in attending my mother, was to look after me and make sure I didn't get into mischief."

"I suppose you led him a merry chase about the Fort," grinned Scarface, his eyes warming as Shavra bridled in mock indignation.

"The way I remember it, we first met when Father was looking for men to defend our northern borders, and Dias was among a party of valles presented for his inspection. I came running in at full speed from somewhere in the Fort, tripped and fell flat on my face in front of Dias."

Scarface exploded in laughter at the idea, and Shavra once again bridled in indignation.

"I'm sorry, Lady Holder," chuckled Scarface, but his face showed no sign of apology. Indeed, his hazel eyes were light with merriment, and despite herself Shavra smiled, for Scarface was one of her true favorites at Court, and she enjoyed these moments when he let his guard down. "But the idea of you falling at Dias' feet, even at so tender an age...!"

"I'll have you know, my head missed the blade of his black wing by about an inch or two," she murmured reprovingly, and continued with the story. "Dias picked me up to make sure I was all right - and mother said - she said it was the way he carried me in his arms that won her favor."

"So of course, your father had no choice but to hire Dias Ragu after that," murmured Scarface, his eyes warm. Shavra nodded, her eyes warm with remembrance.

"Dias had my heart from the first. I followed him everywhere after that first day, except into the battles, of course," she laughed. "We took to calling him my liegeman, because whatever I asked of him, he would do, unless it was something forbidden by my parents.

"We loved him dearly, and when his parents died and Elle was sickening from the same illness, my father offered to help him with the doctor's expenses. But Dias would have none of it, and insisted on being enrolled as a full valle on regular pay.

"On the night the manor was overrun, it was Dias who saved me and brought me to Kuruda."

"How did it happen that he was not in battle with your father?"

"As part of Lyvalle's duty, we lent him out to the Kuruda army, to take part in missions to enemy territory. During one of those missions, he broke his arm, and it was still healing. The doctors had confined him to the Fort, and Mother was keeping him busy - I was always underfoot, which was normal when he was around. So when the news came that Father had been betrayed, it was only natural that Mother gave me over into Dias' charge before the enemy started pounding at the door."

"And that, my dear Lord Scarface, is how I came to know Dias Ragu. We were two weeks coming to Kuruda's palace royal, and his honor held him to a promise made to my mother, even though with my father's death he was no longer bound to Lyvalle Hold, and a bounty of six thousand gold pieces on my head." Shavra's head lifted proudly, and Scarface nodded in understanding. "Once I was the King's ward, Dias came to me one last time to say farewell, as if I was a woman grown, his liege lady, and not a mere babe."

"It should be interesting to see this reunion," murmured Scarface, rising with great reluctance. "How fortunate that Crimson Kai Shinks and I will be present when the Black Wing walks through the door to meet the Lioness of Kuruda."

/tbc


	4. Chapter 4

Shavra opened her eyes at the sound of Livana stirring softly about her bedroom, making ready for a new day. The curtains were drawn back, allowing sunlight to cascade over the clothes Livana laid out for her mistress the night before, and Shavra's eyes widened in realization.

Today was the day Shadow Skill and her posse would pay their respects to the King, and be welcomed back to Kuruda.

Shavra caught her lower lip between her teeth as she rose gracefully from her bed and her mood was thoughtful as she sank into her bath. Paying no heed to the heated, scented water swirling around her, she lost herself in remembrance of the young man who had left her more than a decade before. She had been nine years old, bewildered by the sudden deaths of her parents and the loss of her home, placed under the guardianship of the King of Kuruda.

"Dias..." the name came as a bare thread of sound as Livana towelled down her mistress, and the nurse glanced questioningly at Shavra, who shook her head, and smiled. The King had asked her to attend him dressed in the ceremonial robes worn by every true heir of Fort Lyvalle. In his day, Lord Avedon was The Lion of Kuruda, and now his daughter carried the title with pride and dignity.

"The Lioness of Kuruda. It is fitting," the Princess Lilivelt of Juliannes said in approval, upon hearing of Shavra's fierce battle with the uncle who had stolen her inheritance through treachery. She had beaten him in fair but heated battle using the famous sword Lyorax - the Lion's Wing - a blade without equal, forged by master smith Dias Ragu.

Shavra would never forget how the Court stood agape when she unwrapped the sword before them all, the scabbard magnificent and of the same fine steel of the blade it protected. Threads of yellow, white and rose gold were inlaid on the steel, forming a lacy trellis. The memory of the awed whispers that attended her drawing of the sword, with its lustrous sheen like dark water, brought a smile to her lips as Livana twitched the folds of her gown into place.

The robes of the Lioness of Kuruda were ceremonial, made up of a tawny golden tunic that clung from shoulders to waist, falling from there into a finely pleated bell skirt edged in deep sapphire blue and royal purple. Her silver hair with its sheen of pearl pink was bound up in ribbons of gold sewn with diamonds, and a corded belt of midnight blue and silver -- the Lyvalle colors -- was intricately knotted to form a girdle that rode easily on her hips. Bands of gold-dyed leather covered her arms from wrist to elbow.

Completing the ensemble were a hooded cloak of midnight blue on which the Lyvalle crest was embroidered in silver thread; gold slippers to match the tunic; and the magnificent Lyorax sword hung from her belt, its scabbard catching the sunlight and casting it back into Shavra's room in pinpoints of light.

"You are beautiful, my Lady," breathed Livana, standing back to admire her handiwork. "There is no woman in the Four Kingdoms – or even Ashlianna, dare I say - to match you on this day."

"Or on any day," said the voice of Crimson Kai Shinks from the door. As Shavra flashed him a smile, she submitted to his gentle scrutiny with the good grace of a student before her master. "I really should not pander to your vanity, but indeed you are beautiful, Lioness of Kuruda."

"Kai knows well of what he speaks," drawled Scarface, standing just behind Crimson, his brown eyes gleaming with approval as Shavra turned slowly before them. "He's seen enough women, in Kuruda and elsewhere, in their clothes and out of them, as well."

"Hush, thou most impudent of sevalles," Shavra retorted sweetly, taking the arm he offered her. "I have lived with you both too long to have my head turned by your sweet words."

Soft chuckles met her words, as Shavra swept in regal state out of her suite on Scarface's arm. As they made their way through the corridors, heads turned to watch the handsome trio, and not a few sighs were heard when Crimson gently twitched a lock of silver-pink hair into place over the Lady Holder's shoulder, as they paused before the doors of the great hall.

Once inside however, Shavra released Scarface's arm, and they approached the King with precise formality - the two sevalles a step behind the King's ward. The crowd of people filling the chamber parted as the trio paced down the long red carpet towards the royal dais. It was an impressive sight, the sunlight filtering down on Shavra like gilt edging; the two sevalles, sure of their strength and skill.

As they reached the royal dais, the King's eyes gleamed with pride. It was seldom in Kuruda's history to have so many representatives of sevalle tradition still living – and the two present before him were among the finest that had emerged. Shavra herself was a worthy heir to the Lyvalle legacy, managing Hold and Fort with a skill and firmness that kept its people prosperous.

The sevalles bowed before the King, and Shavra's deep curtsy sent her golden robes billowing about her like a cloud, to murmurs of pleasure from those watching from around the dais. As she was given permission to rise, her eyes of amethyst were calm and peaceful.

"I trust I find you well, Lady Shavra," said the King, beckoning her to the seat she usually occupied at his left hand, while Scarface and Crimson arranged themselves to the right of the throne. Shavra inclined her head with a smile.

"Very well, I thank you, Your Majesty," she replied as she took her seat. "I am greatly looking forward to seeing Shadow Skill and her party once more."

"I dare say you will not be disappointed, my dear," said the King, just as the the chamberlain called for silence, and in a ringing voice, announced the presence of the party from the Green Octopus.

/tbc


	5. Chapter 5

Shavra sucked in her breath, face paling, her amethyst eyes instinctively glancing at Crimson's face. The reassuring look she found in his level blue gaze made her straighten her back as she rose, smoothing her gown as her friends made their measured way towards the royal dais.

By the time the little party was ranged before them, Shavra was the picture of cool decorum, though Elle's eyes glinted in recognition of the tiny smile that played about the Lady Holder's mouth. Elle was front and center, naturally, flanked by Gau and Dias, Kyou a little behind and to the left of Gau, while Folli stood behind and to the right of Dias.

"Kuruda welcomes Shadow Skill," rumbled the King, as the young sevalle went down on one knee. "Rise, Elle Ragu. We hear that you have those whom you wish to present to the Court."

"Yes, Your Majesty, so it please you, I would make known my brothers," answered Elle, her elegant phrasing coming as a total shock to Folli, who had never heard her friend speak so smoothly before anyone. "First, younger brother, Gau Ban."

Gau instantly dropped to one knee, his cheeks flaming under the combined scrutiny of those on the royal dais. The King nodded, saying, "Rise, Black Howling – yes, your exploits were not long in reaching the city, young man. Valle though you are, you were the equal of a thousand men that day. Welcome home."

"I-I thank Your Majesty," said Gau as he got to his feet once again, catching Scarface's sardonic grin as he did so. He felt his face redden, then caught Shavra's slight nod as she smiled at him, and found himself smiling shyly back, drawing himself up a little straighter.

"I also wish to present my older brother,"

Shavra's breath caught in her throat as a tall, black-clad figure stepped forward from behind Elle, and behind her, Crimson and Scarface exchanged a look as her slender form trembled. Her composure held, however, as Dias went down on one knee and bent his head before the King.

"Rise, Dias Ragu," growled Iba Stola. "Lioness of Kuruda, give the Black Wing his welcome."

Dias rose somewhat stiffly, raising his head to look into Shavra's face. As emerald eyes met amethyst, all those present in the room felt the crackle of electricity in that one look.

"Kuruda bids thee welcome, Black Wing," said Shavra in a clear voice, though her heart was pounding at what the years had wrought on the young man she had known as a child. "And is grateful for your safe return."

"I thank you for your welcome, Lady Holder," came the formal reply, though nothing could disguise the affection beneath the cool tones, nor the warmth in the look he gave her.

The assembled Court held its collective breath as a silence drifted between the Lady Holder and Black Wing as their gazes continued to hold, each passing moment making it ever more plain how Dias was indeed Shavra's liegeman, pledged to protect and defend her.

Those closest to the royal dais would later tell - and embellish with each repetition - of how the Lady Holder's eyes filled with tears; how her hands shook as she stretched them out to the Black Wing; the heartcry that vibrated in her voice as she called out his name, nearly stumbling from the dais as she launched herself into his arms, heedless of protocol.

"Ohhh...Dias!" she cried, tears streaming down her face as she wound her arms about his neck, "How I have *missed* you!"

Again, those closest to the throne were witness to how it seemed the most natural thing in the world for the Black Wing's arms to slip around the Lady Holder's waist, catching her close against his chest as she gave way to the emotion of the moment. Saw, too, the light kiss pressed into the silvery hair and the sheen of tears in the green eyes when Shavra turned her face up to his once again.

"You must pardon me, Dias Ragu," she said with a watery smile. "It was never my intention to water you with my tears at the first moment of our meeting."

Dias chuckled softly, shaking his head.

"As my Lady Holder wishes, so it shall be," he said, releasing Shavra from his arms and, drawing forth a clean kerchief, began wiping at her face as if she were once again the child entrusted to his care. "But some things apparently do not change, poppet...I had thought by now you would know to keep a kerchief about you."

Watching the scene as his ward and her valle set themselves to rights, Iba Stola exchanged a long look with Scarface and Crimson, and grunted softly. The King remembered well Shavra's arrival at the palace royal; how she had clung to Dias with terrified eyes when Livana would have taken charge of her, and the brave send-off that she gave him from the ramparts when he set out to be one of the King's soldiers.

In short order, Dias placed his hands around Shavra's waist and lifted her back onto the royal dais. The rest of the welcoming ceremony continued without further incident, although the protocol officer was later heard to bewail the unseemly manner by which the Lady Holder and the Lord Scarface acknowledged smiles with the entire group after the formal greetings were exchanged.

"I would discuss certain matters with our sevalles," said the King, nodding at Dias, Elle and Gau. "Lady Holder, you are bid to join us in my private audience chamber as well. Chamberlain Grenard, see to it that our Sui Reme and Septia are given refreshments, until we send the Lady Holder to them."

"Yes, your Majesty," murmured the chamberlain, and with a gesture beckoned the two young women towards a smaller room beside the private audience chamber.

/tbc


	6. Chapter 6

Shavra took Scarface's arm and let him lead her to the private audience chamber, where she was seated beside Crimson and directly across from Dias, an arrangement that had her slant a questioning glance at her swordmaster, who returned it with a bland look that did not fool her in the least.

Then the King requested first-hand accounts of the events at Blorfan and the Jura Forest from Dias and Elle, and Shavra was attentive to every nuance in Dias' voice. Her heart sang with joy to have him near once again, and yet eyes made sharp by long years of separation noted with a pang the signs of mortal sickness on her well-loved liegeman.

Beneath the sunburned skin was an unhealthy pallor, and the faintest of blue lines about the fine mouth. The eyeglasses could not hide the slight cloudiness over the green eyes, all the more painful to see in contrast to Elle's lively gaze as she recounted the events in the Jura Forest and Blorthan.

Through occasional bulletins from Scarface and Crimson, Shavra knew that Dias' health was not of the best. But it was one thing to have it described, another to actually see the slow consumption of a once hale and hearty body; and for a moment Shavra felt her heart catch within her.

Suddenly, Dias caught Shavra's eyes from across the table, and recognizing the ache in them, smiled in the tender way normally reserved for Elle alone. It sent the blood into Shavra's cheeks, and with a slight nod, she returned her attention to the discussion, for now Crimson was speaking of the information gathered by his network of agents, about Soulfan and the movements of its army.

Once all the reports were in, the King nodded, confident in the abilities of the group around him to make sure Kuruda would stand firm, and preserve Ashlianna, as it had done for 2000 years. He then addressed Shavra, saying, "Lady Holder, there are a few more things I have to say to Shadow Skill and her brothers. You are excused to see to the welfare of our Sui Rame and Septia."

Shavra gracefully rose from the table, and swept into a low curtsy before the King, her robes billowing about her. At the King's next words, however, her head shot up in shocked surprise.

"It is my observation, Lady Holder, that you grow pale from being cooped up in your quarters at the palace. In addition, Crimson informs me that your swordcraft is in dire need of exercise..." Iba Stola appeared to ignore Shavra's indrawn hiss and the angry glare that encompassed both Crimson and Scarface. "Therefore, upon Crimson's suggestion, I am sending you to the Green Octopus Inn, where Scarface informs me there is more than enough space for training. You are to practice there until Crimson considers you up to form again."

"As Your Majesty wishes," said Shavra in a politely frosty voice and a defiant chin that made five warriors hastily mask smiles. Iba Stola nodded, his eyes glinting with amusement, and Shavra rose from her curtsy with a proud dignity that made Scarface chuckle wickedly, earning for himself another fierce glare from her amethyst eyes. With fluid grace she moved away from the conference table without a backward look, then swept regally through the double doors of the audience room into the chamber next door. There she discovered Folli and Kyou, to whom she extended her hands, her face illuminated by a sudden grin as she led them out through another door into a palace corridor.

/tbc


	7. Chapter 7

Once the three women were alone, Shavra hugged both Folli and Kyou with fierce affection, tossing her silvery mane as she remembered the looks traded by Dias, Crimson and Scarface above her head.

"Ohhhh!" she cried, walking arm-in-arm with the two women towards the direction of her suite. "Wait till I get Crimson Kai Sink out on the training field!! My swordcraft is in dire need of exercise, is it? HA!"

"My, my, my," soothed Folli in amusement, as Shavra seethed. "All this fuss and fire! One would think Crimson had offered you a mortal insult."

"Hmph! He and Scarface will be the death of me," sniffed Shavra. "Not two days before I began dressing for this meeting, he allowed as how I had mastered his latest sword pattern to perfection. Now the King tells me he has it on Crimson's authority that my swordcraft is in dire need of exercise? How. Dare. He!"

Folli laughed outright as Shavra threw open the doors of her rooms, sending her maid-servants scurrying to attend her. The faithful Livana relieved Shavra of her formal cloak, and Shavra excused herself while she changed into the clothes she favored for daily wear.

Upon her return to her reception room, Shavra called for cool drinks and warm food, and soon the three women were esconsed on cushions by the wide bay window that afforded a generous view of the city and the lake. The thunderous expression on her face only lasted as long as it took for the food and drink to appear, and after inviting her guests to eat, the Lady Holder settled back on the cushions with a sigh.

Timidly, Kyou asked, "Is the prospect of spending time with us not to your liking, Shavra?"

Shavra shook her head, giving Kyou a quick hug. "It is extremely to my liking, Kyou! There is nothing I enjoy more than to visit with you on the island. But I would have wanted this particular visit to be on my own terms. As it is, it feels like that devious, manipulative, scheming bastard of a sevalle named Scarface Vy Low has been making common cause with Crimson to get me out there. Just so he could throw me into Dias Ragu's company."

Kyou's lovely eyes gleamed in understanding. "And is that so distasteful to you, then?"

Shavra shook her head after taking a long draught of fruit juice. "Indeed not! After all these years, nothing could please me more than to be in his company again. But good heavens...knowing that Crimson and Scarface will be hanging about?"

Folli's laughter rang clearly through the room, as Shavra shook her lovely head in a manner that tumbled her silvery locks into marvelous disarray. The older woman lifted her cup in salute. "Yes, I see your point, Shavra. My deepest sympathies."

"Scar-sama will be teasing me so that I won't know where to look, and in front of Dias, as well, " pouted Shavra, though the laughter in her eyes gave the lie to her words. Suddenly her expression shifted, and a smile slowly curved her mouth upwards. "On the other hand...two can play at that game, and I do know that I am not the only one whose devotion to the Black Wing is beyond question."

Folli caught the look in Shavra's eyes and her own widened in speculation. "Shavra, you wouldn't."

"Not on the same level as my lord Scarface," chuckled the Lady Holder. "But I do intend that my esteemed swordmaster will know what it means to slight my swordsmanship lightly."

/tbc


	8. Chapter 8

In obedience to the note sent by Crimson the night before, Shavra sped down to the castle pier before dawn broke over the horizon. Crimson, already waiting for her in the trim little skiff that always stood ready for excursions on the lake, smiled to himself at the sight of her lithe figure moving with quick, sure steps towards him.

"Give you good morning, my lord sevalle," she said, slightly breathless from the pace she had set for herself. Her face was flushed a pleasing shade of rose, and wayward wisps of hair insisted on escaping the ribbon holding her hair in a tight braid behind her. "I trust I have not kept you waiting."

"Good morning, Lady Holder," nodded Crimson, reaching over for the rucksack Shavra had brought with her, lifting it easily into the skiff before helping her board. "No, I haven't been waiting long...I've only just got the skiff ready."

At that moment, the sun slid over the horizon, and Shavra paused for a moment to admire the beauty of Kuruda's daybreak. A smile curved her mouth as she turned back to Crimson, saying, "It promises to be a lovely day on the island, my lord sevalle."

"A busy one, certainly," he chuckled, as they worked together to bring the skiff into the open water. "Remember, you're going there to bring your swordcraft up to scratch."

"My apologies for taking time out of your busy day to deal with my training, my lord," huffed Shavra, her hand on the tiller while Crimson secured the sails. "I must remember to send consolation gifts to the various women who pined for your attentions while you attended to a green girl..."

"A green girl who rules the Kingdom's oldest and finest Hold with the skill of her father," laughed Crimson, taking a seat beside the Lady Holder. "Who can hold her own against anyone – female or male – in the Four Kingdoms."

"Trying to sweet-talk me, are you, my lord Crimson?" Shavra refused to be mollified. "Assuming that I may indeed be all of that; it was ill-done of you, I think, to tell the King my swordcraft was in...what did His Majesty say? Oh, yes! 'In dire need of exercise', I believe it was."

"It was worth the ruffling of your dignity to see your face when His Majesty said that," smiled Crimson, eyes gleaming in the brightening day. "I also have it on very good authority that a certain valle enjoyed the sight immensely."

Shavra blinked, then gave Crimson a long look before allowing herself a smile. "Did he indeed? Isn't that just like him...to make common cause with you and Scarface so soon after coming home."

"Yes, it is, my dear girl," Crimson agreed, as the island of the Green Octopus grew larger on the horizon. "While I am willing to apologize for the slur – purely in jest, I assure you! - on your swordcraft, I think the time outdoors will do you good. The King was right in saying you have been behind walls too long, poppet. You need a chance to stretch yourself, to relax from the atmosphere of the palace."

Shavra smiled softly at the familiar term of endearment, used in childhood to address her almost as much as her own name. It had begun with the Lady Kyra, and had quickly been picked up by Dias and Crimson, who had been a sometime visitor at the Fort.

"It is to be hoped, my lord sevalle, that a hearty breakfast is to be included as part of the day's activities," she said, as they brought the boat up against the Green Octopus landing. "I smell home-cooked food in the wind, and grow hungry as a result."

"Why else do you think I told you to be ready before sunrise, my dear Lady Holder? We should be just in time to catch Elle and her friends sitting down to breakfast," said Crimson, as he made the skiff fast to its moorings, and helped Shavra regain her footing on dry land.

"Souma be thanked," smiled Shavra, shouldering her rucksack as they started at a brisk pace up the path leading to the Green Octopus Inn. "I know Feorina serves some of the best food in the kingdom."

"You'll need a full belly when I put you through your paces, Lyonlight," said Crimson, referring to Shavra by her fighting name. "Especially since I have every intention of inviting Black Wing to see how you wield that sword he took such pains to make for you."

"It is to be hoped that neither of you will have any reason to be ashamed of my skills," answered Shavra, feeling the length of Lyorax lying across her back. Crimson slanted a glance at his former pupil, and chuckled, taking possession of Shavra's rucksack.

"Breakfast first, poppet, and time to renew acquaintance with your liegeman – then we shall see for ourselves."

* * * * *

"Take a look at that, brother," chuckled Elle, whose happened to glance out the window just as Crimson and Shavra came through the archway of the Green Octopus garden. Dias followed his sister's gaze and after a few moments, smiled to himself.

"Looks like Crimson didn't want to waste any time getting Shavra up here," continued Elle, making steady progress through a huge breakfast. "The sun is barely over the horizon."

"It was light nearly an hour ago, Elle-nee," protested Gau, standing up to set two more places at the table. Folli sniffed delicately, the sight of the newly-arrived pair reminding her of the husband in Juliannes who was Crimson's friend. And whom she missed keenly.

"As if you didn't already know by now that sunrise occurs whenever the Debt Queen of Kuruda deigns to wake up," she said, the twinkle in her eyes taking the sting out of her words. Elle bridled in mid-chew, but her angry retort was interrupted by the entrance of Crimson and Shavra into the dining area, and over the happy commotion made by the Lady Holder's greetings, Crimson traded a look with Dias that made the valle's smile widen into a grin.

"It's a fine day indeed, when the swordmaster sets about to carrying his student's gear," he said as Shavra rounded the table to kiss his cheek, exactly as she used to do during their time together at Fort Lyvalle. "Scarface was right – the Lady Holder has you wrapped around her fingers, Crimson."

"I most certainly do not, Dias Ragu!" protested Shavra, her cheeks turning pink as she helped herself to a healthy portion of food. "I'll have you know that my lord sevalle and I nearly came to blows over who would carry that rucksack. Naturally, he won."

"Naturally," echoed Dias, his chuckles warm with good humor, easily dodging the rabbit punch that Shavra aimed at his shoulder from her place beside him. "I am sure he was most persuasive, being the well-known charmer that he is."

"If anyone is in a position to know, Dias, it would be you," replied Shavra mendaciously, eyes demurely cast down towards her food; not needing to see the color rising in both Crimson's and Dias' faces at her words. "Were you not, after all, brothers-in-arms all those years ago? And has not my lord sevalle been known to pay the occasional visit to Blorfan since hostilities ended?"

"That will be enough, Lady Holder," said Crimson in a quelling voice, and Shavra nodded, recognizing when to leave off teasing. "Recall if you will, how Lyorax came into your hands, and let be."

"Indeed, the memory is cherished in my heart forever, my lord sevalle," said Shavra, with a warm look for Dias. "Never believe that I will forget what you both have done for me."

"Impertinent baggage," growled Crimson without heat. "Dias, would you like to see how this chit of a swordmistress handles Lyorax? I must warn you, though, that she is woefully out of practice."

"I practice as well I can on my own, my lord sevalle, and well you know it. Or would know it, if I were so truly impertinent as to interrupt you as you go about palace...affairs."

Dias' shout of laughter at Shavra's subtle emphasis on the last word, warmed her heart as nothing else had in many years. "Oh, well done, my Lady Holder! It's plain to see that Scarface has been quite the influence on you while I was away."

"Did someone say my name?"

/tbc


	9. Chapter 9

Later, Kyou was heard to remark that it was hard to tell who was more pleased by the sudden appearance of the 57th sevalle – Shavra, who glowed in delight even as she rose to clear her place at the table; or Gau, whose awestruck expression prompted Elle, on her own way to the kitchen, to place the tips of her fingers beneath his chin to gently push his mouth closed.

"Speak of the devil," said Crimson, his blue eyes glinting as Scarface took the seat recently vacated by Shavra. "What brings you out here so early in the morning?"

"Now that's a fine way to greet a friend," drawled Scarface, throwing a glance at the kitchen at the sound of girlish peals of laughter. "If you thought I would miss the chance to see a sparring session between yourself and the Lady Holder – as well as between Shadow Skill and Black Howling, you were much mistaken, Kai."

Crimson snorted. "I suppose it was too much to hope that you would let her have her reunion with Dias in peace. But...since you're here, you may as well be useful, and let him see what else you've taught her, besides how to conduct palace intrigues."

"Now don't you give me that look, Dias," said Scarface, "I've been tutoring our Shavra in some Shadow Skill techniques, that's all. She's made excellent progress, if I may say so."

"Indeed? Why does this not surprise me at all?" replied Dias, pushing his glasses upward, a gesture that did nothing to hide the pride in his eyes and his voice at the compliment to his liege lady's skill. Scarface nodded.

"Yes, she does well enough – but it's plain to see that she was born to be a swordmistress. Wait until you see her with Lyorax in her hands. It was the talk of the Kingdoms, the day she received that sword, and now that she is its mistress in truth..."

"Spare my blushes, my lord sevalle!" cried Shavra, emerging from the kitchen with Elle close behind her. Turning to Crimson, she bowed and said, "If it please you, my lord Crimson, the day grows long, and I have promised Elle a race up to the stone circle. With your permission, I would make good on my promise, and you may follow at your leisure."

"Such pretty manners," teased Scarface, between mouthfuls of his own breakfast. "You see, Dias, how well Kai has drilled propriety into our Lady Holder."

"It pleases me well, Lyonlight," came the reply from Crimson, with a look at Shavra that stilled the reply she would have made to Scarface. "I expect to see you done with your warm-up exercises and well into that new sword pattern when we arrive."

"As my lord sevalle wishes," answered Shavra, then, with a nod at Elle, "Come on then, let's get that race started!"

The dining room seemed strangely quiet with the disappearance of the Lady Holder and the 58th sevalle. Folli excused herself with a smile, Kyou following her to the kitchen, and Gau, after catching a look from Dias, also made his exit, mumbling something about catching up to Elle. A companionable silence descended on the three sevalles as Scarface completed his breakfast.

"It's good to be home," sighed Dias, and in the sound, his friends heard the wistfulness of a man who had little time left to enjoy his return, and even that little time shadowed by the threat of war upon his beloved country.

Watching him, Crimson felt his heart seized with a sudden fierce ache, so strong that it touched Shavra's inner hearing, making her stumble as she raced Elle to the stone circle. The memory of Dias refusing the pain-killing medicine that would have bought him a little more time – a little more life! - was ever in his mind. The knowledge stung deeply - that even though as a Raze Reme, he held command over the power of Souma, he still remained helpless in the face of his best friend's decision. As a sevalle, he understood Dias' desire to meet his fate head-on, calm and without fear. Understanding did not make it any easier to watch this death by inches, however, and Crimson was intensely grateful that he could, at least, give Dias a chance to enjoy the company of the liege lady he had not seen since she was a child at Fort Lyvalle.

For his part, Scarface's eyes darkened as he looked into the future. There were lessons Gau Ban had yet to learn before he could truly deserve the title of Black Howling; and now, with Dias back in Kuruda, the 57th sevalle could see that the fierce protectiveness that the valle cherished for his baby sister was now extended to Gau. Scarface knew, as much as Crimson, the depth of Black Wing's loyalty to those he loved – and that loyalty, pitted against what Scarface felt necessary for Gau's training, was certain to bring tragedy in its wake.

Scarface suddenly became aware of Crimson's steady blue gaze, and meeting the stare without flinching, nodded his head imperceptibly. Threat of war be damned, Dias was their brother-in-arms, and he had been away from Kuruda for far too long. A day free from shadows, to enjoy the company of those most dear to him – it was too small a gift in return for all that Dias had given, and Scarface was determined that it would be so.

"I am glad you find it so," drawled Scarface, a small smile turning up the corners of his mouth. "Perhaps you would do the city an enormous service by persuading Elle to stand still long enough for the Master Stonecutter to finish her statue?"

"It would be like trying to capture the wind," Dias grinned, his green eyes filled with humor. "Not even Her Royal Highness Princess Lilivelt could manage it."

"I may have to agree with you there," sighed Crimson, "Souma be thanked that Her Highness took a liking to Elle the day of the sevalle tournament, and continues to favor her in spite of the debacle at the Four Devas ceremony."

"Oh come, Kai," grinned Scarface as the three men rose from the table, "Admit it. It was the most exciting Four Devas in Ashlianna history."

Crimson's face spoke volumes about his feelings on the matter. "Your father-in-law had quite a different view of the whole affair. Faulstis swears she may never live the embarrassment down."

"I'm sure Faulstis might be convinced to change her mind, in time," said Dias, slanting a look at Scarface. "I've heard that her husband can be as charming as you, Kai, when he sets his mind to it."

"I think your sources may be biased, Dias. 'Charming' is not a word I often hear in the same breath as my name."

"Given that my source persists in believing the best of you, I will grant the bias," replied Dias, as they made their way towards the stone circle that served as the island's practice ground. "Though I do have the evidence of my own eyes to support my point."

"You wear glasses, Dias. I don't think I'd trust the evidence of your eyes, under those circumstances. And stop being such a mother hen over Black Wing, Kai...he can manage quite well if he wants to."

Crimson shook his head in exasperation, meeting Dias' arched brow with a shrug. "Old habits die hard."

"Yes, I can see that. Still the same authoritative manner as in the old days."

"I think the word you mean is 'bossy', Dias."

They were nearing the top of hill by this time, and Crimson's retort was stilled by what he saw as they crested the rise.


	10. Chapter 10

The sun was well over the horizon when Shavra and Elle emerged from the Green Octopus for their race. Elle teasingly offered to give Shavra a few seconds head start, to take into account the weight of Lyorax, to which the Lady Holder retorted that the sword weighed no more than all Elle's armor put together.

So the race began, from the garden gate, up and down the track that led up to the stone circle used by Gau and Elle as their training ground. Both girls pushed themselves, revelling in the freedom from watching eyes and gossiping tongues; loving the cool wind that brushed across cheeks flushed with their exertions.

If not for the slight stumbling caused by Crimson's sudden rush of feeling for the Black Wing, Shavra might have finished in a dead heat with Elle; as it was, she was mere moments behind the sevalle in setting foot within the stone circle.

"That...was marvelous!" she gasped, stretching out her arms to either side, as if to embrace the sunlight. "Kai-sama was right, I've been inside walls too long."

"You should come out more often," agreed Elle. "Especially now that you are the uncontested Lady Holder. I'm sure the King wouldn't mind."

"Or, you could come up to Lyvalle," answered Shavra, slipping Lyorax off her back and resting it against one of the stone plinths. "My fosterlings would talk of nothing else for at least a month."

Elle chuckled. "How many Lyvalle Cubs are there now? It seems that every time I go into the city for errands, I hear of yet another one added to the band."

Shavra laughed at Elle's reference to the special group of boys that were under the personal attention of the Lady Holder. "It's still eight boys, Elle. Though in a little while there will be only seven, what with Royce Mihall ready to be sent to Kuruda for the rest of his training."

"By then you'll have found another one to add, so that they'll be even pairs when they form your honor guard," said Elle, while they took their positions for warm-up exercises. "One day, your first-born son will their brother-in-arms, just wait and see."

"I'd have to find myself a husband first, you know. Someone I can trust completely."

"That much is obvious. Pity it can't be aniki...don't look at me like that, Shavra! Unless you want to tell me he's not good enough, or not handsome enough..."

"Elle!" Shavra's cry of protest floated down towards the approaching sevalles, making Dias sigh and roll up his eyes in loving exasperation as he recognized the Lady Holder's voice. "Elle Ragu, after all your brother has done for me, never suggest that the thought didn't cross my mind – and more than once, mind you! But we both know why it could never happen..."

Shavra's voice caught, and the punch she threw into the air had more force behind it than was really necessary for a warm-up exercise. Elle saw the sparkle of sudden tears in Shavra's eyes, and immediately seized the other girl in a bear hug.

"I'm sorry, Shavra," she said, all contrition. "You know how I get over aniki...I didn't mean it..."

"Silly Elle," sniffed Shavra, returning the hug as fiercely as it was given. "Of course you meant it, for the best brother in the whole world. As he is. No other lord or lady could ask for a better liegeman than Dias Ragu."

"Friends again?" asked Elle, as they disengaged and stretched their muscles. Shavra grinned, nodding, and Elle asked, "So...let's spar? Or will you wait for Crimson and the others?"

"Look, it's Gau!" cried Shavra, as the young man came up over the rise, and as Elle turned to look, the Lady Holder caught something in the green eyes that made her smile broadly to herself. There was much unsaid between the young sevalle and her adopted brother, that much was sure, thought Shavra, but kept the thought close for another day.

Instead she said, "Let's spar, Elle. Let the young man catch his breath before you wipe the ground with his body yet again."

Elle's green eyes glinted as she swung her gaze back to Shavra, who merely smiled and stuck the tip of her tongue out at the sevalle as she crossed her arms over her chest and began backpedaling across the uneven ground. Elle set off in pursuit, a broad grin on her face; she enjoyed her sparring with the Lady Holder, ever since the day Scarface brought them together for a friendly match.

"I've taught her some of the basics," he had said, "Now she needs someone to try them out on. Who better than our newly-minted sevalle, eh?"

Though Shavra's look was unwavering, Elle saw the nerves of a fighter as yet untried in new skills, and nodded. "We'll start slow, Shavra. Once you have the feel of things, we can have some real fun."

"Strength and skill, Elle," said Scarface in warning, "Don't unleash the Annhilation Techniques just yet."

Elle nodded, and the session that followed was a mutally satisfying for all concerned. Once Shavra got over her initial hesitation ("Come on, I won't break! See if you can't do better...YES!"), she proved able to hold her own against Elle's steadily increasing offense. As it was her first time using Eigi, she lost to Elle's experience, landing flat on her back after a leg sweep buckled her knees.

Since then, Shavra showed considerable improvement with each new sparring session, until it came to the point where she could fight Elle to a draw more than half the time. Her form was a pleasure to watch, her instincts sure as she blocked punches and kicks, her own offense delivered with calculation that seldom wasted energy.

The sun turned Shavra's hair into a nimbus as she launched herself in the air to evade being pinned against the rock wall, and it was as she hung suspended that Dias, Crimson and Scarface arrived on the scene, arraying themselves behind Gau.

Dias caught his breath as Elle launched herself after Shavra, the sun blinding his eyes as he tracked her upward progress. Shavra was beginning her descent, and beside him, Dias could feel the sudden tension in Crimson as well as the anticipation in Scarface. The air was filled with the crackle of electricity as two cries sounded; followed soon after by the sound of blows exchanged, and then two lithe bodies dropping to the ground – the Lady Holder landing somewhat more heavily than Shadow Skill.

"Are you all right?" Dias called out, as Elle wobbled slightly and Shavra rose carefully from the ground. "Elle! Shavra!"

"We'll survive, aniki!" came the cheerful answer from Elle, as she walked with hand outstretched to Shavra. "A bit sore and bruised tomorrow, but otherwise fine."

"For which Souma be thanked," murmured Gau, moving forward as Shavra clasped Elle's hand to conclude their sparring match. "Elle-nee..."

"Ooof...that was an interesting way to go about things," sighed Shavra, moving towards Crimson, who looked her over with a critical eye. "I must remember that manuever for the future."

"Come here, young woman," rumbled Crimson, turning Shavra around so that he could look at her back. "Tonight, I am going to leave some salves at your door, and you are to have it rubbed into your back before you go to bed. No, no protests, or I'll come into your room and do it myself."

"My lord Crimson! You wouldn't...." Shavra looked up at the laughing blue eyes and huffed. "I think you would, at that, never mind the damage to my reputation."

"I won't tell if you don't," chuckled Scarface, unrepentant at the moue Shavra made at him. "Everyone in Kuruda knows how precious you are to Kai, my dear lady. It is the stuff of legend. There is simply no way he could be anything but honorable with you – unless he'd like to answer to Dias. Or me."

"If I hadn't heard it with my own ears, I would never have believed it," said Dias in mock wonder. "Scarface Vy Low, bestirring himself to defend a woman's reputation."

"That's because Faulstis would never let him hear the end of it otherwise," laughed Shavra, shrieking in feigned alarm as Scarface feinted towards her, sending her to seek shelter in Dias' arms.

.../tbc


	11. Chapter 11

"Why you impertinent brat," growled Scarface, while Crimson grinned broadly as Dias pushed Shavra behind him. "Are you trying to imply that I am a henpecked husband? Get out of my way, Dias, and let me teach your beloved liege lady a lesson in manners!"

"Oho, that's rich," chuckled Dias, feeling Shavra behind him measuring the best way to get past Scarface and to Crimson, who had moved towards the plinth where she had left Lyorax, and now beckoned her to join him for their own sparring session. The Black Wing continued, "Considering how many times you have led my lady into mischief."

"Mischief which she has always managed to get out of, and with a great deal of natural skill," answered Scarface, making a half-hearted feint at Shavra as she darted out from behind Dias, a move that she ducked easily, speeding towards Crimson on light feet. Both men watched as she fetched up in front of the swordmaster, then dropped to one knee in respect, remaining still until Crimson offered Lyorax to her.

Shavra rose easily and received the sword in both hands, drawing the blade easily from its scabbard as Crimson removed his sevalle cloak, revealing a broad, muscled chest that filled out his shirt in an extremely pleasing way. She smiled as he came to stand beside her, Silver Sword in his hand, and at a nod from him, began the set of exercises that preceded their every sword sparring session.

Dias felt his heart warm at his first sight of Shavra using the sword he had crafted for her coming-of-age ceremony. Crimson had come personally to Blorfan to make the request, on a beautiful spring day. As he watched Crimson and Shavra turn their exercises into a beautiful dance of metal and light, the memory of that day returned to him.

* * * * *

"Wine?"

At Crimson's nod, Dias poured out a generous meaure into a goblet and handed it to the older sevalle. Their fingers met, and Dias felt the slight tremble that shook the warm grip over his own, bringing a faint flush to his tanned face. Crimson brought the goblet to his lips, eyes twin cobalt coals marking the slow smile lifting up the corner's of the valle's mouth. A faint flush crept up Crimson's own face, further evidence of Dias' continuing hold over the older man's affection. Catching the burning cobalt gaze, Dias' emerald eyes sparkled with mischief as he raised his own goblet in silent toast.

"Lyvalle white," murmured Crimson appreciatively, as the mellow liquid warmed a path to his belly. Dias nodded.

"From the southern slopes," he replied, the green eyes turning into cloudy jade. "The last vintage we tithed to Kuruda, the year Lord Avedon and Lady Kyra. . ."

"I know, Dias. I know," sighed Crimson, as the valle's voice faded. He turned the goblet in his lean fingers so that the crest engraved on the cup flashed in the sunlight. "That's why I'm here. To speak of Lyvalle."

At once, Dias was alert, his eyes boring into Crimson's with wary concern.

"Shavra? Is there danger?"

Crimson shook his head. "Nothing immediate."

"Then what?"

"She turns sixteen this year."

Dias furrowed his brow in puzzlement, then his emerald eyes flashed in understanding. Seven years before, he had spirited a terrified child out of a mountain fortress, fleeing the mercenaries sent out to do the bidding of the treacherous uncle who had murdered her parents. Seven years had passed since he left that silver-haired child with eyes of amethyst bravely waving farewell from the ramparts of Kuruda's palace royal. Seven long years, in which the child had grown into a woman ready to come into her heritage and her powers; time and enough to have missed the presence of Shavra Lyvalle, heiress of Lyvalle Hold, in a way he had missed no other woman save his sister Elle.

"Sixteen?" murmured Dias, studying the crest on the goblet that matched Crimson's. A crest of a lion rampant quartered with a phoenix rising -- Lyvalle and Solaris, Shavra's birthright. "Has it been so long, then?"

"Long enough," agreed Crimson, "this year, Shavra comes of age. In three more years, when King Iba Stola invests her as the true Holder of Lyvalle, she will need a sword worthy of her rank."

"Sethor still lives, Kai. And continues to hold Lyvalle."

"By treachery and not by right, as we both know," ground out Crimson in suppressed anger, tightening his grip on the goblet in his hand. "Avedon was my best friend. And Kyra..."

Dias heard the catch in Crimson's voice and looked away as the older man struggled for control. Kyra Solaris had been Kai Sink's first love, in the days when Crimson had been fostered at the Solaris manor in Juliannes. It was a love kept secret, for he had nothing to offer her -- nothing at all, until the day he captured the title of Kuruda's 56th sevalle. Kyra had come to the tournament, and he would have declared himself then, except that in the same moment, it became plain to all that there would be no other man for Kyra but the Lord Holder of Lyvalle. Crimson's best friend.

Only Dias knew what it cost Crimson to hold his peace and let his beloved and his best friend have their happiness together. When they died, brutally murdered by Avedon's brother Sethor, Crimson had been on a mission deep in Soulfan. By the time he heard the news, Shavra was two weeks resident in the palace royal; and the story of how the Lady Kyra had defended Fort Lyvalle to her last breath was common knowledge. Less commonly known was how close Sethor had come to violating his sister-in-law, whom he had desired from the moment Avedon had brought her home to Lyvalle.

Dias knew that as the rightful heir of Fort Lyvalle, Shavra was the channel for Souma, the force that gave life and health to all living things. On the day Lord Avedon was murdered, he had accompanied Lady Kyra to the springs beneath Fort Lyvalle and watched as she cast locks about them which could only be opened by the hand of the true heir – and no sooner were the locks in place, than word reached them of Sethor's treachery.

In moments, Lady Kyra had led Dias, with Shavra in his arms, to a spot in the rock face that shimmered away at her touch to reveal a tunnel. Shavra cried out in alarm as Lady Kyra ordered Dias to go down the tunnel with Shavra, leaving her to deal with the approaching enemy.

_"Mama!" _

_"My Lady! We cannot leave you here alone!" _

_"Shavra, poppet, Dias will take good care of you,"_ soothed Lady Kyra, even as she pushed them both down the hidden passage to safety. "_Dias, I cannot follow - there is no time, and I can delay Sethor if I stay behind -Shavra is the last of the Lyvalles, she must live to reclaim her heritage." _

_"But, my Lady...!" _

_"GO! Dias, for the love of all that is holy, go now...bring my daughter to King Iba Stola of Kuruda...give him my signet ring and tell him what you know of this day. Now go...before Sethor finds my daughter and kills her as a threat to his ambition!"_

So they had fled, dodging and hiding, so that what should have been the journey of almost a day on the open highway turned into two weeks through forest and cliffs before they arrived at the palace royal. Events had moved swiftly once it was proven who Dias and Shavra were, and in the space of a day, the Lady Holder and her liegeman of years were separated.

Before long, letters for Dias arrived from the palace royal, written first in a child's hand, then in the elegant strokes of a young woman being trained for life in the royal court. Stories were told – sometimes by Scarface, sometimes by Crimson – of Shavra's mastery of throwing knives and sword skills, and the continuing distress at Lyvalle as Sethor's blatant disregard for the rituals of Souma upset its balance, bringing hardship to its people as a result.

Now, Shavra was sixteen, and nearly ready to be recognized as the true heir of Fort Lyvalle. It was a certainty that once Sethor heard of this, he would be quick to challenge Shavra's right to rule, and that he would insist on settling the question by open combat. Whether the combat would also be a fair one was highly debatable.

"Which is why she needs a sword she can call her own," said Crimson, "One whose blade will sing when she swings it in the air, strong enough to channel her energy and give it focus. The kind of weapon that only a master smith can make – and who better than yourself, who has known – no, who has loved her since she was a child?"

"Set your heart at ease, Kai," soothed Dias, putting a hand on the sevalle's shoulder. "My liege lady will have a sword like no other, that I promise you."

* * * * *

He had come through on that promise, thought Dias, as the sound of metal on metal brought him back to the present, to see Shavra matching wits with Crimson on the practice ground. It had taken him the better part of that year to complete blade and scabbard to his satifaction; and though it had exhausted him, it was worth it, to receive Crimson's heartfelt thanks when he received the sword.

More than worth it, to hear Scarface relating with undisguised relish of how the Court had reacted when Crimson presented Shavra with the sword and how she discovered its name; and there was an unholy sort of glee in the High Sevalle's voice as he told of how the Lady Holder had killed her uncle on the same day that Elle was revealed to be the 59th sevalle.

Dias watched, enjoying the sight of the two blades matched against each other, Shavra proving herself to be a worthy student of Crimson's teaching, anticipating his swift changes from one form to another with a grace that made Dias catch his breath. In the end, Crimson won out, managing to force Lyorax out of Shavra's hands with a quick countermove that she was a fraction too slow to see.

"Well done, Lyonlight," said Crimson, bowing in response to Shavra's going down on one knee. Looking at Dias, he asked, "What do you think, Black Wing? Did I not tell you, she could make a sword sing?"

.../tbc


	12. Chapter 12

"Indeed you have," agreed Dias, watching as Shavra rose and stood beside Crimson, enjoying the sight of two of the most important people in his life. "So often that even the very plants at Blorfan could recite her praises."

"Given what I've seen of the plants in Blorfan," chuckled Scarface, "That is a lot of recitation, Crimson."

"I am glad that I have not put Lyorax to shame before your eyes, my lords," murmured Shavra, offering the sword to Dias so he could examine it. She watched as the weapons master looked over his creation carefully, to return it with a look of satisfaction.

"You and Lyorax are as well-matched as I hoped you would be," he said, as Shavra sheathed the blade. "I too am glad, to finally have seen it in your hands."

Which words earned Dias a fierce hug from his liege lady, and from that point, the day proceeded in a series of combat practice sessions that left all concerned dusty, sweaty, and bruised – as well as eminently satisfied. The highlight of the day was the sparring session between Scarface and Crimson, brought about by friendly banter between the sevalles.

Shavra, Elle, and Gau ranged themselves near Dias as the two sevalles took their places in the combat ring. At Shavra's signal, they launched into a display of skill that drew admiring gasps from their audience; Dias smiled to himself whenever Shavra's hand squeezed his arm each time a blow connected, betraying her affection for them. In the end, the sevalles fought to a draw and clasped hands in agreement, looking extremely pleased with themselves as they rejoined the group.

"Now **that** was a sparring match," declared Scarface, with a smug expression. Directing a pointed look at Gau, he added, "I hope you were taking notes, young man. Crimson Kai Sink is still an opponent to be reckoned with, and not to be taken lightly."

Gau swallowed hard at being the focus of two pairs of sevalle eyes and nodded. It had been interesting to see the two sevalles in action, knowing that Crimson's hand had been responsible for marking Vy Low's face and giving the younger man his fighting name.

Elle's green eyes glinted with mischievous intent as she looked at Gau. "The hero of Blorfan, indeed. You look like a fresh-caught fish, Gau."

Shavra gasped in delight as Gau snapped his mouth closed and returned Elle's look with a direct blue gaze that reminded her of the hawks at Fort Lyvalle.

"In that case, this fish is going for a swim in the lake," he said quietly, and Dias grinned at the way his sister's eyes widened. "Who's going to join me?"

/...tbc


End file.
